


what was, what is (and what could have been)

by emrys (livingshitpost)



Category: Sally Face (Video Games)
Genre: Big Brothers, Bittersweet, Bittersweet Ending, Canon Compliant, Canon Het Relationship, Canonical Character Death, Child Death, Child Loss, Childhood Memories, Childhood Trauma, Christianity, F/M, Family Loss, Grief/Mourning, Headcanon, Kinda, Kinfic, Light Angst, Little Sisters, Loss, Loss of Parent(s), Not Beta Read, Parent-Child Relationship, Past Character Death, Past Relationship(s), Post-Loss, Pregnancy, Religion, Religious Content, Religious Discussion, Sad, Sad with a Happy Ending, Siblings, Stillbirth, Talking, ik her name was leah so /shrugs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-23
Updated: 2019-02-23
Packaged: 2019-11-04 03:38:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17890766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/livingshitpost/pseuds/emrys
Summary: Larry didn't remember it very well, but he knew that there was a time when he was going to be a big brother. A time that never came to pass.He remembered how nobody ever spoke of Leah Johnson. It became a rule; unwritten and unspoken, but still strictly followed.It made that evening's dinner all the more strange to him.





	what was, what is (and what could have been)

Larry didn't remember it very well, but he knew that there was a time when he was going to be a big brother. A time he'd looked forward to eagerly, impatient to meet his new little sister. A time that never came to pass. He remembered the feeling of violent sobs in his chest and fire in his throat; of his small fists beating pathetically against his father's legs. He remembered the anger and betrayal and the feeling that he'd been lied to, that he'd been given false hope, and then of guilt at seeing his mother just as distraught as he was. (The only good thing to come out of it was a fleeting glimpse of his father shouting at Father Phelps the last time they attended a service at the local ministry.) He remembered the way his mother stopped talking for a while as she grieved for her daughter — his sister — and how she took down every ultrasound from the fridge and put them all in an envelope before tossing them in the garbage can. He remembered going up to his treehouse one night before it was even finished and finding his father crying over the grainy black and white photos. He remembered how none of them ever spoke of Leah Johnson. It became a rule; unwritten and unspoken, but still strictly followed.

It made that evening's dinner all the more strange to him.

"Larry, do you remember Leah?"

His jaw slowed as he worked on a mouthful of macaroni. He nodded, swallowing. "Yeah. I was five, right?"

"Almost six." Lisa poked at her steamed broccoli with her fork. "Do you ever think about her?"

He hesitated for a moment. He shrugged. "Iunno. Sometimes, I guess." He glanced at the calendar on the wall behind his mother. "Her birthday's coming up, isn't it?"

"Mm-hmm." She carefully plucked a bite of broccoli from her fork without touching the metal to her teeth and chewed thoughtfully before speaking again. "You know Henry was here last night, right?"

"Mom, you really don't have to tell me about your sex life."

Lisa laughed at that. "I'm not, Lar-Bear. Don't worry." She didn't look up from her plate.

". . . Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm okay. I just figured we should talk about it, maybe?" She shrugged. "He said it might help."

Larry barely stopped himself from scoffing. "What's Henry Fisher know about  _that_ , exactly?"

Lisa opened her mouth to speak, but stopped herself. She sighed as she thought it over. When she finally said it, her voice was soft. "Diane was pregnant when she died."

Larry blinked. "Oh." He looked down at his plate and shifted in his seat, pulling one foot up onto his chair and half-hugging his knee. "Diane was Sal's mom, right?"

Lisa nodded. "They hadn't even told Sally at that point, but it broke the poor man's heart. He lost his wife and unborn daughter _and_ had to help Sal through the aftermath of getting attacked by that dog."

"Does he know?"

"Whadd'ya mean?"

"Does Sal know he was gonna be a big brother?"

"I don't know. I didn't ask."

Larry bit the inside of his lip. "He blames himself for her death," he mumbled. He prodded at his macaroni absently.

"I know. I've heard him talk in his sleep sometimes when he stays over."

"T's not fair."

"I know, Lar."

The two of them continued to eat for a bit in silence. The only sound came from silverware against plates and rain drizzling down the high-up windows.

"D'you think they're together in Heaven or whatever?"

Lisa smiled. "Maybe. That'd be nice, huh? Maybe they're already like sisters."

"How old would they be?"

"Leah'd be about eleven," Lisa sighed. "Sal's sister . . . Maybe thirteen? Fourteen?"

"Did she have a name?"

"Henry said they would've called her Charlotte."

"So Charlie and Leah?"

Lisa chuckled. "I guess, yeah."

Larry glanced up at the ceiling. "Y'think they're watching us?"

A soft sigh. "Yeah, I think so."

"Kinda creepy, Leah."

Lisa lightly smacked her son's arm. "She's watching  _over_ you. Making sure you don't get into too much trouble, just like Charlotte's doin' for Sal."

"They sure have their work cut out for 'em, huh?"

"You two don't exactly make their jobs easy," Lisa teased.

"Yeah, I know." Larry smirked. "But they love us, don't they?"

"Yeah they do." She laughed and ruffled her son's hair. "Now finish your supper, Jeopardy's gonna be on soon."


End file.
